Automatic copying and binding machine

ABSTRACT

AN AUTOMATIC COPYING AND BINDING MACHINE CAPABLE OF AUTOMATICALLY PRODUCING DUPLICATES OR ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS TO BE COPIED AND, WHEN NECESSARY, BINDING THE DUPLICATES TOGETHER. THE DUPLICATES PRODUCED, EITHER BOND OR NOT BOUND, AND THE ORIGINALS FROM WHICH THE DUPLICATES ARE PRODUCED MAY BE STAMPED OR SEALED TO HAVE OTHER SIMPLE CLERICAL OPERATIONS OPTIONALLY PERFORMED THEREON AND COPIES AND THE ORIGINAL ARE AUTOMATICALLY RETURNED TO THE OPERATOR SITUATED IN FRONT OF THE MACHINE. SUITABLE MEANS ARE ACCORDINGLY DISCLOSED FOR CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENTR OF THE ORIGINAL AND THE COPIES WITHIN THE MACHINE, COMPRISING COOPERATING SETS OF ROLLERS ARRANGED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO EACH OTHER AND WHICH RESPECTIVELY ENGAGE AND RELEASE THE PROCESSED SHEETS IN RESPONSE TO THE ACTUATION OF SENSING SWITCH MEANS.

June 13, 1972 YUGORO KOBAYASHI 3,669,537

AUTOMATIC COPYING AND BINDING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1970 FIG. 1

FIG. 2

FOLDING STATION 1 I Hc 9e I7 DIRECTION CHANGING STATION SEAL ING ,6 STA ION EOPYING SECTION SEALING 2I STATION INVENTOR YUGORO KOBAYASHI ATTORNEY June 13, 1972 YUGORO KOBAYASHI 5 AUTOMATIC COPYING AND BINDING MAGHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Aug. 25. 1970 FIG. 4

INVENTOR YUGORO KOBAYASHI flu/b4/ ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,669,537 Patented June 13, 1972 US. Cl. 355-50 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An automatic copying and binding machine capable of automatically producing duplicates of original documents to be copied and, when necessary, binding the duplicates together. The duplicates produced, either bound or not bound, and the originals from which the duplicates are produced may be stamped or sealed or have other simple clerical operations optionally performed thereon and copies and the original are automatically returned to the operator situated in front of the machine. Suitable means are accordingly disclosed for changing the direction of movement of the original and the copies within the machine, comprising cooperating sets of rollers arranged at right angles to each other and which respectively engage and release the processed sheets in response to the actuation of sensing switch means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to copying machines for producing duplicates of original documents and more particularly to a copying machine which is capable of automatically binding the duplicates to make up a set and supplying the set at the front of the machine.

While there are many copying machines in the market, few, if any, perform more than the simple copying operation with perhaps an added collating operation. However, there is a demand for an automatic copying machine which is capable of not only producing duplicates of originals to be copied but also binding the duplicates together and performing other related clerical tasks automatically.

This invention provides an automatic copying and binding machine which automatically performs simple business tasks and economizes on labor costs in such fields as issuing transcripts and abridged transcripts of census registrations of persons in a particular family and transcripts of registrations of real property and commercial rights and titles by automatically producing duplicates of originals, binding the duplicates together and placing official stamps and other indicia thereon, if necessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention, involves an automatic copying and binding machine comprising :1 copying mechanism for exposing photosensitive sheets to produce duplicates of originals to be copied, a direction changing device for changing the direction of movement of the duplicates released from the copying mechanism so as to direct the same to a front portion of the machine where the operator is situated, a binding device disposed on the downstream side of said direction changing device for term porarily storing the duplicates delivered thereto so as to bind the duplicates together when all the duplicates making up a set are ready for binding, and control means for actuating said mechanism and devices in chronological sequence in synchronism with the movements of the duplicates through the machine. The machine according to this invention is comparatively compact and simple in construction and is adapted to perform alternative operations while in each case supplying the desired copy or set of copies to the front of the machine.

Additional features and advantages of this invention will become evident from the description set forth hereinafter when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the automatic copying and binding machine comprising one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the automatic copying and binding machine of FIG. 1 showing its components and the steps of operation.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one form of the direction changing device of the automatic copying and binding machine of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the direction changing device of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The present invention will be described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof shown in FIG. 1 in the form of an automatic copying and binding machine for producing transcripts and abridged transcripts of census registrations of persons in particular family registers. It is to be understood, however, that though adapted for the purpose mentioned, the automatic copying and binding machine according to this invention can be duplicated and the duplicates produced can be bound together, if necessary.

In FIG. 1, a photosensitive sheet insertion port 2 is disposed below a feed port 1 for the original to be copied. An operation panel 3 is provided on the right side of the original feed port 1 for selecting the particular operation to be performed. An original return port 4, general dup1i cate discharge port 5, and census registration abridged transcript discharge port 6 are provided above the original feed port 1 in the indicated order. A census registration transcript discharge port 7 is provided below the operation panel 3. It will thus be noted that the insertion of an original to be copied, and the blank sheets of duplicates to be produced, as well as the manipulation of the panel board 3 can be effected by the operator situated in front of the machine, Also, the originals that have been fed to the machine and the duplicates of the originals produced are returned to the operator at the front portion A of the machine.

As shown in FIG. 2, an original 8 is inserted in the port 1 after a main switch 30 is actuated, and a photosensitive sheet 9 is inserted in port 2, and the two are fed to a copying mechanism 10 simultaneously. The copying mechanism 10 includes an exposing section 11 and a developing section 12, and the original 8 and photosensitive sheet 9 superposed one on top of the other are introduced into the exposing section 11 where the image of the original 8 is formed on the photosensitive sheet 9. Upon completion of exposure, the original 8 is passed along passageway I and returned to the front portion A through the port 4.

The copying mechanism .10 may be either a copying apparatus of the diazo type utilizing the photolysis of diazonium salts or an electronic photo-copying machine relying on the photoconductivity of zinc oxide or amorphous selenium and of a conventional construction such as variously disclosed in US. Pats. Nos. 3,345,925, 3,- 380,065, 3,345,925 or 3,475,093. The photosensitive sheet 9 may be of a predetermined size cut previously or may be cut from a web of photosensitive sheet in roll form by cutting means provided in the machine. The manner of travel of the original 8 and the photosensitive sheet 9 and the manner of operation of the exposing and developing steps may be varied by appropriate control means. In the embodiment shown and described herein, the machine will be explained as using a copying apparatus of the diazo type as the printing mechanism 10.

The photosensitive sheet 9 exposed in the exposing section 11 is delivered to the developing section 12 where it is developed. The developed photosensitive sheet 9 (hereinafter referred to as a duplicate 9d) makes up a set with other developed sheets that follow if it is intended to be a sheet of a transcript of the registration of a person in a family register which generally comes in a plurality of pages. Therefore, the duplicate 9d is moved along a passageway Ila to a folding device 13. However, if the duplicate 9d is intended to be an abridged transcription thereof which is usually in one page, it is moved along a passageway III to a sealing device 14 where an oflicial seal is aifixed thereto and then discharged through the abridged transcript discharge port 6 in the front portion A. The copying mechanism 10 is able to duplicate anything that may be fed thereto, so that if the original is a document, business letter or any material other than a registration in a registry, the duplicate 9d is moved along a passageway IV and discharged through the general duplicate discharge port in the front portion A. The sealing device 14 which may the of any conventional type consists of vertical sealing means 15 and transverse sealing means 16 which are selectively actuated depending on whether the original 8 is written in vertical columns or transverse columns. Either of the means can be actuated by manipulating a control knob 3b on the operation panel 3 beforehand. The selection of one of the passages Ila, III and IV may be made depending on the type of the original 8 by manipulating a control knob 30 on the operation panel 3 so as to vary the degree of tilting of a passageway switching plate a to a suitable level as desired.

Returning to the duplicate 9d intended to be a sheet of a transcript of the census registration of a person in a family register, it is fed to the folding device 13 where it is folded in the middle. The folding device 13 may be of the type such as disclosed in Japanese patent publication No. 5,409/ 1962 dated June 21, 1962 in which a half of the duplicate 9d is released from a pair of rollers 13a and is fed into a receiving box 130 juxtaposed to the pair of rollers and the slackened central portion of the duplicate is gripped and folded by another pair of rollers 13b. The duplicate 9d is folded in half along its center line (shown in a dash-and-dot line C) so that its upper surface may form the outer surfaces of a folded duplicate 9e. In the folding device 13, the duplicate is moved at right angles to the passageway Ila so that the folded duplicate 9e may be moved along a passageway III). The direction of movement of the folded duplicate 9e is changed by 90 at a direction changing device 17 so that the folded duplicate 9e is now moved along a passageway IIc toward the front portion A of the machine. The construction of the direction changing device 17 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

In FIG. 3, rollers 31 and 32 firmly fixed to a shaft 35 are maintained in engagement with rollers 33 and 34 respectively firmly fixed on shaft 36. The two shafts 35 and 36 are disposed one above the other with their axes being disposed at right angles to the passageway Ilb, so that the rollers 31, 32, 33 and 34 perform the function of conveying a duplicate 9e in the same direction as the passageway llb. The shaft 36 supporting the rollers 33 and 34 is rotatably supported by an immovable wall member 37 and a side wall 38 of the machine. The shaft 36 is connected, at its outer end, to a drive mechanism (360) through a chain 36b or the like. The shaft 36 normally rotates in the direction of the arrow a when the main switch 30 is closed. The shaft 35 supporting the rollers 31 and 32 has opposite end portions which are loosely fitted in slots 39a and 40a formed in arms 39 and 40 respectively which are firmly fixed at their bases to a shaft 41. The shaft 41 is rotatably supported at opposite ends by the side wall 38 and an immovable wall member 42 and has a central portion which mounts a leaf spring 43 urging the shaft 35 to move downwardly by its biasing force.

In FIG. 3, the passageway He is disposed at right angles to the passageway IIb and rollers 44 and 45 and rollers 46 and 47 adapted to come into engagement with each other are disposed in the entrance to the passageway He. The rollers 44 and 45, and 46 and 47 are mounted on shafts 48 and 49, respectively, which are disposed one above the other with their axes being disposed at right angles to the passageway IIc, so that the rollers 44, 45, 46 and 47 perform the function of conveying the duplicate in the same direction as the passageway He. The shaft 48 is rotatably supported by the side wall 38 and immovable wall member 42 and connected, at its outer end, to the drive mechanism 36a for the shaft 36 through a chain 36c or the like. The shaft 48 normally rotates in the direction of the arrow b. The shaft supporting the rollers 46 and 47 has opposite end portions which are loosely fitted in slots 50a and 51a formed in arms 50 and 51 which are firmly fixed at their bases to a shaft 52. The shaft 52 is also rotatably supported at opposite ends by the side wall 38 and immovable wall member 42. The shaft 52 has a central portion which mounts a leaf spring 53 urging the shaft 49 to move downwardly by its biasing force. Mounted near the end of the shaft 52 on the side of the arm 50 is an engaging arm 54 which has a forward end loosely fitted in a slot 39b formed in the arm 39 which supports the rollers 31 and 32. Firmly secured to the shaft 52 near the end thereof on the side of the side wall 38 are arms 55 and 56 which face in opposite directions. Disposed below the arms 55 and 56 is a solenoid 57 which is supported by a support plate 58 firmly fixed to the side wall 38. An actuator 59 for the solenoid 57 is connected to the free end of the arm 56 through a tension spring 60. The free end of the arm 55 is urged to move downwardly by the biasing force of a tension spring 61. Thus, the shaft 52 is urged to rotate in the direction of the arrow c when the solenoid 57 is inoperative. If the shaft 52 rotates in the direction of the arrow c, then the arms 50 and 51 and the leaf spring 53 are urged to move in the same direction, so that the rollers 46 and 47 remain in engagement with the rollers 44 and 45 respectively. The engaging arm 54 is also urged to move in the same direction and thereby move the arm 39 upwardly. This causes the rollers 31 and 32 to move upwardly out of engagement with the rollers 33 and 34, respectively against the spring 43 which thus :auses the shaft 41 to rotate in the direction of the arrow The solenoid 57 is connected to a normally closed switch 62 and maintained operative at all times when the main switch 62 is closed. When the solenoid 57 is operative, the arm 56 is pulled by the actuator 59, so that the shaft 52 is urged to rotate in a direction opposite to the direction 0 in which it is normally urged to rotate. This brings the rollers 46 and 47 out of engagement with the rollers 44 and 45 respectively and the rollers 31 and 32 into engagement with the rollers 33 and 34 respectively. This state continues while the switch 62 remains closed.

Assuming that the folded duplicate 9e is introduced from the passageway IIb into the direction changing device which is in the state described, it is gripped by the rollers 31, 32 and 33 and 34 maintained in contact with each other and moved further ahead. An actuator 63 for the switch 62 is disposed in front of the rollers 31, 32, 33 and 34, so that when the actuator 63 is moved by the duplicate 9e the switch 62 is opened and the solenoid 57 is rendered inoperative. When the solenoid 57 is rendered inoperative, then the rollers 31 and 32 are brought out of engagement with the rollers 33 and 34 respectively and the rollers 44 and 45 are brought into engagement with the rollers 46 and 47 respectively.

The relative positions of the passageway IIb and the rollers 31, 32, 33 and 34 are such that when the duplicate 9e is gripped by the rollers 31, 32, 33 and 34 it is moved forwardly while its left end portion as seen in FIG. 4 is disposed between the rollers 46, 47 and 44, 45 out of engagement with each other. The actuator 63 for the switch 62 is disposed such that it is pushed by the duplicate 9e when the duplicate is correctly disposed relative to the passageway 110 (see FIG. 4). Accordingly, if the duplicate 9e positioned as shown in FIG. 4 pushes the actuator 63 of the switch 62, then the solenoid 57 is deenergized and the duplicate is gripped in that position by the rollers 44, 45 and 46, 47 and introduced into the passageway Us. As aforesaid, the passageway He is disposed at right angles to the passageway IIb and faces the forward portion A of the machine as shown in FIG. 2. The duplicate 9e having its direction of movement changed at the direction changing device 17 is introduced into a temporary storage device 18 where it is held till the following sheets of duplicates of the same set are delivered. When the duplicates 9e in a predetermined number of sheets are piled in a stack in the device 18, they are moved to a binding device 19 in a stack. When the duplicate 9e having its direction of movement changed in the direction chang ing device 17 is introduced into the temporary storage device 18, its folded edge is pressed with a strong force by a pair of duplicate conveying rollers (18a) disposed in the passageway 110 on the upstream side of the device 18. The pair of rollers is disposed at right angles to the folded edge, so that the pressure per unit area applied by the rollers to the folded edge of the duplicate is very high. Accordingly, the folded edge of each duplicate sheet is pressed flat without any crease so that a stack of several sheets of duplicates has a very small thickness without becoming 'fiulfy.

The temporary storage device 18 may be of any conventional type and include, for example, a stopper (18b) adapted to move in and out of the passageway He. The stopper operates such that it remains in the passageway lie when the duplicates 9e are disposed in the device 18, but when the last sheet of duplicate is delivered to the device 18 the stopper moves out of the passageway IIc to let all the sheets of duplicates move ahead.

The binding device 19 may be a conventional electric stapler (19a) for stapling all the sheets of duplicates forming a set which are stopped temporarily in the device 19. It is to be understood that if the binding device 19 includes a stopper 19b the temporary storage device 18 may be done without unless otherwise required.

The set of sheets of duplicates 9e bound together at the binding device 19 is then forwarded to an alteration prevention device 20 where the duplicates 9e may be punched, perforated or imprinted to prevent them from being tampered with. The device 20 includes a stopper 20b. A conventional numeral puncher may be used as the alteration prevention device 20. The set of duplicates 9e is then moved to a conventional sealing device 21 where either the vertical sealing means 22 or transverse sealing means 23 is actuated, as set beforehand, by manipulating a control knob 3d on the panel 3, so that an oflicial seal can be aflixed either longitudinally or vertically in accordance with the arrangement of the columns in the particular original 8. The set of duplicates 9e to which an official seal has been affixed is discharged through the transcript discharge port 7 in the front portion A of the machine as a transcript 9c of the registration of the particular person in his family register.

The temporary storage device 18, binding device 19, alteration prevention device 20 and sealing device 21 may be operated by means of control cams, or the like, which are actuated by signals produced by a detection means (such as switch 62). Upon detection of the last duplicate sheet of a number of duplicates forming a set solenoid,

such as 57, mounted in the devices are similarly operated so that the devices may be actuated in a chronological sequence which may be set beforehand. After being released from the direction changing device 17, the duplicates are conveyed between devices by a conventional roller conveyor which is rendered operative at all times after the main switch is closed.

From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that the automatic copying and binding machine according to this invention offers many advantages. The provision of the direction changing device on the downstream side of the folding device permits a transcript or abridged transcript of the census registration of a person in his family register to be discharged in the front portion of the machine where the original has been fed to the machine. Besides, the provision of the sealing device in the machine eliminates the manual operation of affixing an ofiicial seal to each transcript after it is discharged from the copying machine. Thus, the present invention economizes on labor and simplifies business procedures in providing a transcription or abridged transcription of a census registration or similar type of records or documents.

The provision of the direction changing device in the machine offers an additional advantage in that it permits the binding device and alteration prevention device to be disposed parallel to the path of movement of the duplicate, toward the front of the machine. The folded duplicate is fed with its folded edge being disposed at right angles to the roller conveyor, so that folding can be effected positively and readily.

While the automatic copying and binding machine according to this invention has been described as being used for producing a transcript or abridged transcript of the census registration of a person in his family register, it is to be understood that the machine can be used for producing a duplicate of any material and binding the duplicates thus produced as well as performing other suitable clerical operations automatically.

Further, the direction changing device may be used throughout the machine to direct the processed documents to the front such as in the case of the original and the abridged transcripts.

I claim:

1. An automatic copying and binding machine comprising a copying means for exposing photosensitive sheets to produce duplicates of originals to be copied, direction changing means for changing the direction of movement of the originals and duplicates released from the copying means so as to direct the same to a front portion of the machine in front of which the operator is situated, a binding means disposed on the downstream side of said direction changing means for temporarily storing the duplicates delivered thereto so as to bind the duplicates when all the duplicates making up a set are ready for binding, a sealing means for afiixing an official seal to said duplicates in a predetermined position prior to the discharge of the duplicates from the machine, and control means for actuating the aforesaid means in chronological sequence in synchronism with the movement of the duplicates through the machine.

2. An automatic copying and binding machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said direction changing device comprises a roller conveyor consisting of a plurality of sets of rollers arranged such that their axes cross one another, and means for causing said rollers to open successively in synchronism with the movements of the duplicates.

3. An automatic copying machine of the type having:

(a) means on the front for accepting an original document to be copied and a photosensitive sheet to act as the duplicate document;

(b) copying means wherein the photosensitive sheet is exposed to produce a duplicate of the original document;

(c) means for transporting the original and duplicate documents from the accepting means into the copying means and out of the copying means after the exposure;

wherein the improvement comprises:

(d) means for transporting the documents after exiting from said copying means hack to the front of the machine said transporting means including:

(i) a first cooperating set of rollers;

(ii) means for pressing said first set of rollers together for engaging and transporting a document therebetween transversely with respect to their rotational axes;

(iii) a second set of cooperating rollers arranged with their rotational axes normal to the rotational axes of said first set of rollers and such that the edge of a document being transported by said first set of rollers will pass therebetween;

(iv) means for pressing said second set of rollers together for engaging and transporting a document therebetween transversely with respect to their rotational axes; and

(v) switch means actuated by said document after being transported a predetermined distance by said first set of rollers to release said first roller set pressing means and actuate said second roller set pressing means to change the direction of transportation of said document.

4. A machine as in claim 3 including:

(f) means for receiving and stacking successive documents whose direction of transportation has been changed; and

(a) means for binding a stack of said documents after a predetermined number have been received.

5. A machine as in claim 3 including means for sealing documents whose direction of transportation has been changed.

6. A machine as in claim 3 including means on the front of said machine for controlling said copying means and said transporting means.

7. A machine as in claim 3, comprising means for folding said documents.

8. A machine as in claim 3, wherein one roller in a cooperating set is mounted on a fixed axis and the other roller is mounted on a pivotable axis.

9. A machine as in claim 3, comprising solenoid means for actuating said pressing means.

10. A machine as in claim 3, wherein said switch means comprises a lever arm positioned at a point corresponding to said predetermined distance for engagement with said transported document.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1953 Hessert 35548 8/1961 Branscomb 209-110 US. Cl. X.R. 

